By Eric Webster

Looking for something fun to do that isn’t focused on alcohol? There was a time when that wasn’t easy to find, but the times they are a changing.

Charm city and the kava bar

It’s Friday night, or your Friday anyway. Maybe it’s Wednesday. Wherever you are in the week, it’s time to unwind and blow off some steam. Quick shower and a change of clothes and we’re off to the…well, what are we off to? What’s to do?

Ryan and Emma are already in the Inner Harbor. The crew from work is meeting up in Federal Hill for shots and making plans from there. Your sister will be in Fells Point and said to come by if you were going out.

While you might end up having a good time in any of those scenes, none of it is really what you want to do, is it? Emma won’t be able to hear you over the music and Ryan will just be watching the Orioles game. Shots with co-workers only leads to more shots with fewer people as the night goes on. Your sister just invited you because she knows she can beat you at pool all night.

There are bars all over Baltimore where you can go for a wide variety of experiences that are all pretty similar at heart. A lot of people’s idea of relaxing and unwinding is tied to alcohol. “Being social” almost feels like a synonym for drinking sometimes. While that can be a great way to do all of those things, it can’t be the only option, right?

Ever wish for an alternative?

What about places to go and be social that aren’t just different versions of the same end game? To be somewhere where you and others are drinking isn’t the only way to socialize in Baltimore. It can’t be!

There’s the aquarium. The museum of art. You can go see Poe’s grave. Ooh, the Enoch Pratt Library is always a great time.

Yeah, I know, none of those are open late. I think the museum is open until 9 on Thursdays, but I digress.

What you’re looking for is a place that is welcoming to the experience you are craving. A place of kindred spirits where you can find your unwind button. The place you want to be tonight is a bar, but it’s not the kind of bar you’re thinking about.

Alcohol-free bar. Kava bar. These shouldn’t sound weird.

Having to qualify the lack of alcohol just makes it hit different. It sounds so foreign. When you hear the word ‘bar’ it brings a certain atmosphere to mind. While that mental image may be very different for each of us, there are some elements common to them all. A social club, if you will, but with tap handles.

Just because you take the alcohol out of the atmosphere, doesn’t mean you have to lose the vibe. It shouldn’t be strange to have that setting without the booze and still just call it a bar.

And as deep as a conversation over drinks can get the details are usually fuzzy the next day, often gone in a week. The topics get repetitive, and louder. You don’t want to just talk about nothing tonight while you work on a buzz, you want connection.

You want a place that offers the one separate from the other. This place was made with you in mind.

If you’re going to be separate, you might as well stand out! And if alcohol-free bar just sounds strange, let’s go with…

Root City to the rescue

It’s right here, this overflowing social oasis you’ve longed to find (or didn’t realize you were missing). If you’re still in the mood for some convincing before heading out, then here’s some pretty sweet details.

Upon opening the door, you enter a cool and inviting cafe complete with a botanical garden. The space envelops you as the door shuts the city out behind you. There’s retail space as well as some tables and a cozy little window nook. A friendly staff is waiting to introduce you to the wonders of kava, botanicals and functional mushrooms (not THAT kind of mushroom). They have coffee too, if that’s what you’re into.

It’s a great little spot to sit and chill a bit. Look out the window, have a quiet chat.

And that’s just the beginning of the experience!

Take a breath. Take in the atmosphere, let go of your tensions. You are ready to head up the stairs!

The bar and lounge area is designed to put you at ease. You can cozy right up to the beautiful bar for one of a wide variety of delicious mocktails. The spacious lounge, with its cocktail tables, couches, easy chairs and fireplace, invites you to settle in and join the crowd.

While they’ll still be happy to tell you all you want to know about kava, your attention will be taken by the rest of the room. The many details of the decor are more than enough to draw the eye all over for an hour. There’s a stage area where poetry readings, live music, and other entertainments are held. It’s hard to find a place that feels so welcoming without also feeling overly designed. Root City flows visually across you like a peaceful, drifting river on it’s way to the bay.

Hungry? In addition to the many joys to be found of the liquid variety, Root City also offers some delightful small bites and sandwiches for all the foodies out there. The artfully crafted mocktails are even more enticing paired with delicious food. The chicken pesto panini might just be the best sandwich in the zip code.

All in all, you’re in for a fantastic experience and a memorable night. But wait, there’s more!

Three shall be the number

As if everything you’ve read so far isn’t enough, this amazing social club has THREE floors!! And the third floor is FIRE!

The boss level of Root City is truly the jewel in the crown. It’s a cross between something you saw in a movie and the entertainment space you wish you had at home. Retro gaming lounge may be the words they use to describe it, but words don’t do it justice.

Get your game on with classic consoles or old school upright video games. Another beautifully designed lounge captures the eyes and other senses. It is a memorable space you will want to return to time and again.

Maybe on your next visit you can start at the top and work your way down. Any way you choose to approach it, your kava bar in Baltimore won’t disappoint.

So tell me, what do you desire?

“Our mission is to offer a welcoming social space for the health-conscious and those seeking alcohol alternatives.” That’s the goal, as stated by the founders of Root City. And they live it every day.

A playground of connections and experience awaits. Nestled cozily into historic Mount Vernon, your escape from the day has three floors to suit your moods.

The little Zen garden of nightlife you seek is ready for your arrival. The grind of the city fades away as the vibe overtakes you. You’ve been searching for a space. Yearning for a social outlet with just the right presence.

Day or night, rain or shine, we are your place to gather. Come join the community and be social with us.

By Eric Webster

Figuring out where to buy local produce is so much harder than it should be!!

Is it local?  The question is asked in so many places for so many things.  If you’re visiting the coast you certainly want to know if the fish being served came from the region.  It’s the little side markets you go to to find the truly unique items, not some chain where everything was made somewhere else.

Produce is no different.  You would much rather be roasting red peppers grown in your county. Ones picked yesterday, not some that arrived on a truck a few days ago.  From Texas, or maybe California, which you don’t know by looking at them.  And if there was a label there’s not anymore.  How much time do you have left before it goes bad?  Who knows? 

While farmer’s markets and small, local groceries are nice, they are not something everyone may have access to.  Some communities just don’t have the size or support network for those.

With no one else to sell to, farms in your area are moving their product by dealing with larger distributors.  These distributors then sell the items to the regional and local food hubs and larger grocery chains.

Once it’s all said and done the farmers have sold their produce for less than they would have liked. To a middleman who then sells it again.  All of this before you even get a chance to enter the picture.  By the time you see the product the price on it has been raised by two different buyers on its way to you. And where it came from may no longer be listed by then either.  Some of it may have been frozen.

Speaking of frozen, all of this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Who really knows what’s in our food?

So many things go into what we eat and where it comes from.  At times it can feel like we don’t have any choice in the matter, and it isn’t always possible to even find out all of the details about what we are buying.  How scary to have so little control over our food supply!

If only there were some magic method to solve these issues.  Like maybe an app.  You know, something that could tell you where the farms in your area were.  Maybe one that would have a list of the things you could buy directly from the farmer.  Perhaps a method by which you could communicate directly with the people growing your food. One where you could ask them all the questions about the things you want control over.

How many people would an app like that help?  Fifty?  Fifty thousand?  Hint: the answer is more than whatever number you just thought about.

• There are so many diets and allergies that require knowing exactly what you are putting in your body 

• The owner of the new BBQ place who wants to operate a farm to table establishment needs access to the farms

• Anyone with a strong opinion regarding pesticides or GMO would love to be able to learn more about their food

• And don’t forget Bob.  All Bob really wants is fresh picked blueberries when he can get them, and maybe some eggs on Mondays.  There’s probably a farm Bob can swing by.  They may even deliver

An app like that would help a LOT of people, wouldn’t it?

Let me tell you about Locally Grown

So here’s the part where I tell you that there is, indeed, an app for just these things.

Locally Grown’s goal is to be the lowest barrier to entry platform for farms selling their products online.  Locally Grown exists to bring access to local farms right to your phone.  With one app you can help shift your area closer to a fully community supported agriculture, which benefits everyone around you.

What does using Locally Grown and, by extension, supporting local farms do to support the whole community?

• Allows easy access to all of the options available in the area, some of which fewer people would find otherwise.

• By keeping the commerce local, the number of trucks and delivery vehicles coming and going is reduced.  This not only helps with traffic, but reduces the gallons of diesel and motor oil required by those trucks.

• Allows more money to remain in the local economy.  The farmers don’t lose a percentage to a middle man, leaving them more to spend in town.  Prices stay lower as the extra costs don’t need to be covered.

Locally Grown takes all of the guesswork out of the process. They put you directly in touch with the people who are growing your food.  With this app the question is no longer ‘where to buy local’ but rather ‘which farm are you buying what from’

Something special starts with supporting local farms

The connections made through the Locally Grown app are an important part of the move towards community supported agriculture.  So many of the worries and headaches you’ve been experiencing at the major retailers can be taken away.  Relieving stress begins with removing tension.  Isn’t it time to remove some tension? 

At the same time you’ll be lending a helping hand to your neighbors and soon to be friends.  The community grows strongest when its members support each other.  By supporting the farms of your community you are keeping the local economy healthy and vibrant as well.  

Figuring out where to buy local produce is a download away.  And what we mean by local is growing all the time.  Locally Grown began as an app for the Burlington, NC area in 2023.  Today there are farms from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia available to you with just a couple of taps on your screen.

Who knows where the next farms to join the community will come from?  We don’t know either, but we do know there’s more to come.  So come be a part of something bigger that is seeking to bring better to everyone.

Never ask where to buy local again 

Supporting local farms has never been easier.  Peace of mind and stable food prices are within easy reach.

• Do you want to know if glyphosate was used on your corn?  Ask the farmer

• Do you like your eggs best when they’re only a few hours old?  Schedule a time to pick them up

• Is reducing our footprint important to you?  Local supply means less packaging and fewer gallons of diesel burned

• Are you tired of being surprised by the prices when you go to the store?  They’re better at the source

• Can you see the future of community supported agriculture?  Are you ready to go there?

Head to the App Store or Google Play and download Locally Grown.  You’ll never have to worry about not being in control of your food supply again.  And it’s good for your community as well.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  Why are you still reading this?  Go get the app and start finding all the local farms near you.

By Eric Webster

A labor of love without reward is just labor.

There are so many different things that lead someone to farming.  There are a multitude of reasons one chooses to provide the food for their community.  Having to deal with figuring out the world of online sales is never one of them.  No matter the path that led you to running your farm, a passion for retail probably wasn’t a factor.

But here you are.  You’re raising the livestock, tilling the soil, growing the grain and the vegetables.  And trying to figure out how to get your product sold.  You’ve made a sign that says ‘fresh, local produce’, but where do you hang it?  How do farmers sell their products?

You’ve got this!  But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use some help.

Local farmers already do so much.  They help to protect the community from disruptions in the global food supply chain.  They reduce our reliance on preservatives and long-distance transportation.  Research shows that the dollars spent directly at the farms and within the community are more likely to remain in the local economy.

Your day is a never-ending stream of chores and responsibilities.  After you get all of the to-do lists done the only things you want to think about are dinner and whatever you’ve got lined up on Hulu (if you can keep your eyes open).

You’re really supposed to still have things to do?

All that work the first twelve hours of the day was supposed to be it, right?  Instead you need to:

• Create and maintain a website designed to draw local businesses to your farm.  In addition to the added expense, web design and agriculture aren’t exactly the same thing.  Being good at one doesn’t help with the other.
• Learn about and use marketing strategies to stand out among your competitors.  Colleges offer courses on this, but you have a lot of other things on your plate without trying to find time for classes.
• Track and manage payments from a variety of sources while keeping up with inventory.  Book keeping is fun!  Who needs help with that?
• Maintain a database of client information to keep up with recurring orders, preferences and payment methods.  Maybe you can make some spreadsheets, too.  And buy a filing cabinet.  Instead of perfecting your irrigation and pest control you can get really good at Excel.

There are services out there that will provide you with the tools you need (and many tools you don’t).  These services will also take a lot of your money every month.  Far more than many small businesses can be expected to absorb as costs for operating.  The cost to do business should never be so much as to prevent doing business.

If only there was an affordable app for selling farm products

With a simple download you are on your way to simple, easy answers.  Locally Grown was started with the goal of making the lowest barrier to entry platform for farms to sell their products online.

Once the app is downloaded it takes about 30 minutes to get set up and start selling, and the cost to you is nothing.  Once more for those in the back, that number was nothing!  Zero, zilch, nada.  Certainly this is the cheapest way to sell your farm’s products!

All that pesky ecommerce?  Handled.  The app’s customer version shows them all of the participating farms in their search radius that offer what they are looking for.  Business comes to you instead of you having to spend quality time looking for customers.

The joys of marketing?  Your farm’s bio appears on the app as well as your product listing and photographs.  All you have to do is update pricing and availability as needed.  Just another hassle and expense you can take a pass on. Locally Grown gets your information out there at no cost to you.

I hear you saying nothing is free and you are, of course, correct.  We keep the lights on with a small 6% transaction fee applied to the customer’s total at the point of sale, so it IS free to you.  It’s a small price for bringing a little bit of infrastructure to a segment of the market that doesn’t have much of one.

Don’t just take my word for it, the reviews tell the same tale

“Customer service is top notch and any issues and questions have been answered quickly. The app is user friendly and we highly recommend this app to anyone looking for an online sales opportunity.”

PrairieWoods Farm

Who can I expect to reach with such an app?

Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to negotiate with distributors and food hubs?  To have the demand for your product come to you?  With prices all over the place at the grocery stores there are plenty of shoppers looking for some stability in their experience.  The locally grown:local farms app, companion to locally grown (for farmers) is used by:

• Smaller groceries who could use a reliable supply chain as sourcing becomes harder.  With global markets not knowing which way they are headed, smart retailers are keeping their suppliers as close to home as possible
• The ever expanding health conscious crowd likes to know where their food originated.  Having the farms at their fingertips, and the farmers at the other end of the app’s contact box, is ideal for their peace of mind.
• Studies show that individual buyers will generally pay even a little more than they would at the grocery store to know their food was fresh
• Local restaurants nationwide have embraced the farm to table movement. Many of them are going so far as to name the farms on their menu.  They certainly use all tools at their disposal to find those farms and your farm could be featured at the French place downtown before you know it

Sales both online and in-person are generated through this app which provides the public with vetted farmers and an easy ordering process.

All work and no play…

Instead of spending all your free time after dinner two nights a week keeping up with a hundred little details, why not take thirty minutes now and get ahead of all this?  Thirty minutes.  Once.  Or all your free time after dinner.  Often.  One app to take care of so many aspects of your business without consuming your ‘me’ time.

Do you want to worry about maintaining a website?  Just upload a few pictures and a short bio and you are all good to go.  No buying a domain and paying for hosting. Forget about jockeying for position in web searches.  No hassles at all.  Just update your products and prices as needed.

Would you like to create and keep up with an extensive customer database?  Do you file them alphabetically by last name, or should you group them by order size?  Is Ms. Peterson every other Tuesday or was she the one that switched to Thursday?  Was that address you jotted down for the Simpson account correct?   Locally Grown comes with a user base already in place and organized. This offers easy contact with the customers through the app should you need any extra information not already provided.

Does invoicing and keeping up with all things billing related sound like fun?  Doesn’t same day payments directly to your bank account sound even better?

Accept decline or update orders with a single tap!  No co-ordinating phone calls.  No voice mails that don’t get heard until it’s too late.  Simple, efficient communication.

You can always spend what little extra time you can find in the day tending to all the small details.  Much worse choices have been made by people over the years (both CBS and NBC said no to Monday Night Football before ABC agreed to it).  On the other hand, you could have all these weights taken off your shoulders for free.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it really does bear repeating.  Free!  What are you waiting for?

If you’re serious about upping your farm game, the choice is clear

Fifty thousand customers are waiting to learn about your farm.  All you have to do is visit the app store and you’re on your way!  Half an hour today saves you hundreds of hours over the rest of your life.  Are you ready to start selling?

By Eric Webster

Gene’s Haufbrau is the place to be if you’re serious about beer and want to be sure of a good selection.

ALL THE GOOD BARS ARE DIVE BARS

The dive bar, a tried and true American staple.  All towns have one, most towns have several.  

Though the term can be used to describe some seedy locations, over time it has come to refer to your well-worn, unpretentious neighborhood bar.  Usually one serving up reasonably priced drinks to a crowd of mostly regular customers, and one without a lot of flashy signs or really much of anything to draw your attention.  

One does not hear of a dive bar from glittery advertisements.  We rarely hear of a dive bar from its most loyal patrons, as they want to keep it exactly the way it is.  

You wander randomly into a dive bar, or happen across it in your travels.  If you are more than a casual acquaintance of a regular, they might clue you in to the place they go to escape (with instructions not to tell everyone else where you went).

Gene’s Haufbrau and its particularly good beer selection stand as a shining example of the perfect dive bar.  Reasonable prices but so many beers.  So.  Many.  Beers.  

And so much more

AS LOCAL AS LOCAL GETS

Since 1952, Gene’s has been home to the Charleston locals living west of the Ashley river.  For all of the area’s history, very few bars remain in the Holy City dating back much further.  Perhaps there’s a spot downtown that can trace back to 1788, but by and large Gene’s is one of the longer-running establishments still open in town (and the oldest one in the West Ashley/Avondale area).

Since even before craft beers started to become a major force in the market, Gene’s has been at the forefront of the best craft beer selection available in town.  As the local market in Charleston has exploded with diverse and wonderful breweries, Gene’s Haufbrau has kept featuring their beers among the national and global entries on their extensive list.

This makes them a local treasure that is showcasing other local treasures.  Whether it is one of the taps, or the bottles and cans, a who’s who of Charleston brew can be had at this cozy bar.  They won’t all go on to the widespread recognition some are beginning to find, but will have a place here for as long as they are making beer.

There are hundreds of pictures above the bar of past patrons living their best life within these walls.  The bar top is a display of labels from some beers you’ve heard of, a few you’ve never heard of, and others you had forgotten about. 

This is where folks come to socialize, to relax and be themselves among friends.  It has been since 1952 and will still be just that in 2052.  A place like Gene’s is as important a neighborhood fixture as anything else.  We all need somewhere to unwind.

DID I MENTION THEIR BEER YET?

If you’re looking for German beer, they have a lot of it here.  You like a good English porter?  There might be one on tap right now!   ESB?  Check.  Have you tried the Lambic?  They have more than one sour to choose from!  Who does that?

There are 17 drafts on display, and 117 (you read that right, one hundred and seventeen) more beers available in bottles or cans.  From strong ales to Belgian Tripels to weird fruit beers, your desires are here for the asking (and a few bucks to help keep the rent paid).

They’ve even got drinkable NA beers instead of the usual swill that non-drinkers have dealt with in the past.  Designated drivers deserve better than just water or sugar bomb mocktails, and Gene’s has their back!!

If you’re looking for good beer selection, look no further than Avondale.  Gene’s is where it’s at.

Somewhere in these coolers is every style you can think of!  I hear you shouting ‘challenge accepted’, but you’d need to spend some time on a Google search before you proved this wrong.

For those who choose the stronger drinks, don’t take the focus on the beer to mean you’ll be left wanting.  There is plenty of liquor on these shelves to please your palate as well.  For now, however, we are talking about barley pop.  Fishing sodas.  Suds, hop juice, wobbly pop, laughing water, liquid bread.  We are here for the beer.

IT’S LIKE YOU’RE WAITING FOR AN INVITATION!  

As if the beer was not enough!  Of course you’re invited, why aren’t you on your way yet?

Need more excuses to join the party at Gene’s? 

• The shuffleboard table has just the right glide once you get warmed up
• There are two pool tables available while you’re waiting your turn on Golden Tee
• Want to play board games? Guess what?
• They let you throw sharp stuff!!!  Okay, specific sharp stuff.  And only at the dart boards.

Unlike the pretzels and mystery meat you would expect to find in a place like this, their kitchen isn’t churning out your run-of-the-mill fare.  The blue plate specials are good Southern food, and lots of it, for a very reasonable price.  No, you can’t have Tuesday’s plate on Friday, why did you even ask that? 

With items ranging from Weiner Schnitzel to fish tacos, you can keep a lot of people happy with this menu.  Best of all, there’s definitely a beer here that will pair perfectly with whatever you decide to get!  That Mexi-Club tastes even better washed down with a Helles lager, getting both sides of the Atlantic involved in your experience.

Add all these things together and you’ve got yourself the ingredients for a place you never want to leave!

ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING: THIS IS THE BEST CRAFT BEER SELECTION YOU’RE GOING TO FIND!

Anyway, if you like beer enough to have read this far then this is your place to come every day until you die.  Locally owned and operated, Gene’s has a committed local following that is always ready to add another regular to their family of friends.  

Visiting Charleston?  This will be the place you tell all your friends you discovered on your trip.  It’s a cross between a tree fort and a clubhouse, but for adults and everyone is welcome. 

Dive bars forever!  Gene’s for life!  Stop in for a cold one and soon it’ll be your clubhouse, too.